The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in Science. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Spruance Gilbert Sch
Spruance Gilbert is a PreK-8 school on Horrocks Street in Northeast Philadelphia. It serves a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a substantial Asian population as well. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school's state test results show proficiency well below the state bar. In the most recent assessments, roughly one in five students tested proficient in math and English language arts on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. In science, tested a couple of years earlier, proficiency was higher but still at a low level. These results place the school among the lowest-performing schools in the county in terms of raw proficiency rates. A parent may want to explore with the school what instructional approaches, support systems, and progress monitoring are in place to address these gaps.
The school is part of the Philadelphia City School District, which is undergoing significant structural change. The district adopted a science-of-reading English language arts curriculum districtwide starting in 2024-25, replacing previous materials, and earlier adopted a new K-12 math curriculum. This standardizes instruction across all schools but carries both promise and early uncertainty. Reading proficiency dropped slightly in the first year of the new ELA materials. The district is also executing a major facilities consolidation and modernization plan approved in 2026 that will close schools, co-locate programs, and modernize buildings over the coming years. Spruance Gilbert is not listed among schools slated to close, but the broader reshuffling of catchments and programs is reshaping which students attend which school across the city.
Enrollment at Spruance Gilbert is substantial for its grade span, distributed fairly evenly across PreK through eighth grade. The school sits in a neighborhood where median home values are moderate by metro standards and rents are below the state benchmark, making it an affordable area of the city relative to Center City, University City, or other strong housing markets in Philadelphia. The neighborhood is part of Northeast Philadelphia, which is car-dependent; the school is a few miles from dense pedestrian commercial districts.
The school operates as a regular public school within the district. No data was available on special education rates, English learner enrollment, chronic absenteeism, or staffing. These details would be worth asking the school directly about, especially given the proficiency picture and the shift to new curricula districtwide.
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